To party or not to party? That seems to be the question this week. It is nice to finally be in December when we can really start to look forward to festivities, whatever they will be. As predicted, there are some fantastic light displays around Alsager; some households are clearly in competition with each other. I remember last year remarking on how many trees had gone up at the start of December but that seems to be an accepted norm now.
I sent out information yesterday about a Covid vaccine ‘mop up’ that is being organised by the nursing team, as well as key information about the Fluenz nasal vaccine and the importance of completing the consent form at least 3 days before they are due. Our flu vaccination dates are 13th and 14th December. Please use this link to access the consent form: wchc.nhs.uk/econsent/
There has been a lot of coverage in the media about the new Covid variant; we will embark on mass testing in January but are currently not anticipating having to have a staggered start. I will send out more information about this before we break up for Christmas. You may remember the debacle of January 2021 when some schools went back in January for one day and then we went into a lockdown until March. Let’s keep everything crossed that we don’t return to that scenario. Although our Covid numbers are beginning to decline, please do continue with twice weekly lateral flow tests. It has seemed strange this week going back to wearing face coverings in communal areas. However, it is a small price to pay for keeping ourselves and others safer. Thank you for your continued support with this.
It has been lovely this week to meet with subject award winners for the month of November. We have had some fascinating conversations, ranging from film and book recommendations (Seven Years in Tibet and Shadow and Bone) to dipping fries in your milkshake. In amongst all of that we did talk about the outstanding work they are doing in lessons.
I have also met with the sixth form student leadership team to discuss ways in which we can raise the profile of student voice across the school. They had lots of exciting ideas which they will share in the new year.
The run up to Christmas is always exciting but as you will know, children start to tire at this time of year, too. The darker mornings are not conducive to getting up early and I know that many of our students forego breakfast for a few extra minutes in bed. We do notice a significant difference in behaviour when they are not ‘fuelled up’. Please do keep encouraging your child to have something to eat and drink before coming to school. We sent out a message a few weeks ago with a reminder that we will not be giving out plastic cups for water. Again, a plea that your child brings a water bottle, so they can remain fully hydrated.
Towards the end of lunch yesterday a very huge crowd of students had gathered outside of the canteen. The source of the commotion? A Y11 student amazing the crowd with card tricks. Our very own Penn and Teller! It could only happen in Alsager.
Please do keep messaging me about your child’s achievements outside of school. My knowledge of horses, go karting, taekwondo and gymnastics has definitely improved this year. It really is a pleasure to speak to our students about their interests.
You may have seen that the Alsager staff completed the race around the world. We went out on a celebratory run last week; you may also have seen the rather ‘unflattering’ (!) photo of us. I much prefer this version:
Enjoy the weekend and as always, thank you for your continued support.
“To appreciate the beauty of the snowflake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold”. (Aristotle)
